‘Children were calling for their mummies’: UK pupils struggle in 40C-plus classrooms

The extreme heat that has hit the UK twice in the past few weeks has left teachers struggling to cope as temperatures in some classrooms climb above 40C, with pupils and staff suffering from heatstroke, nausea and headaches.

Teachers say they have been desperately trying to keep children safe, with some covering younger pupils in wet paper towels as they lie on the floor, while older students have been given trays of water under their desks to put their feet in.

Pokémon Go Fest Global 2026 event guide and rotating habitat schedule

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Published Jul 11, 2026, 2:00 AM EDT

Here's everything you need to know for Pokémon Go Fest: Global 2026

Mega Mewtwo Y, Mega Mewtwo X, Zeraora, Bouffalant, and Tropius around the Pokémon Go Fest 2026 emblem. Graphic: Julia Lee/Polygon | Source images: Game Freak/Nintendo, The Pokémon Company, Scopely Explore

Pokémon Go's biggest flagship event of the year, Pokémon Go Fest: Global, is back for 2026. The event runs on both Saturday, July 11 and Sunday, July 12 from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. in your local time. Though the perks are the same across the two days, there are rotating habitats that will differ from the two days, so you'll want to look ahead to see what you want to spend your precious time and raid passes on before you go all in.

Man arrested on suspicion of Ann Widdecombe’s murder is released

A 26-year-old man who was arrested on suspicion of the murder of the former MP Ann Widdecombe has been released from custody and is no longer part of the investigation, Devon and Cornwall police said early on Saturday.

In a statement, assistant chief constable Matt Longman said: “Our priority remains identifying those responsible and ensuring that all available evidence is thoroughly examined.

“Detectives continue to carry out numerous enquiries as part of the ongoing investigation and we remain committed to establishing the full circumstances surrounding the incident.”

Losing our religion? Australia would no longer be majority religious if format of census question changed, survey finds

Australia would no longer be a majority religious country if the format of a question in the census was changed, according to a new survey.

The Essential Media poll tested the existing census format, where people choose from a list that includes the most common religions, “no religion” and “other”.

At the 2021 census, about 39% of people selected “no religion” from that list.

In the new survey, released ahead of the 2026 Australian census on 11 August, 43% of people selected “no religion” when asked in the same format.

Argentina’s Scaloni: Messi will be the best as long as he wants to be

World Cup 2026 post label

A muscle strain threatened to derail Messi’s tournament, but his coach says he’s still world’s best player.

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said he is not surprised by ⁠Lionel Messi’s physical ⁠condition at 39, reiterating that he believes the captain will remain the best player in the world for as long as he chooses to ⁠keep playing.

Messi has been instrumental in Argentina’s World Cup campaign, scoring eight goals in five matches to sit just behind France’s Kylian Mbappe – who has played a game more – in the Golden Boot race.

AstraZeneca's trial flop raises a bigger question: Is its pipeline premium becoming more vulnerable?

AstraZeneca's failed late-stage trial for Wainua was never expected to have a major financial impact on the company.

Most analysts estimate the trial miss wiped just 2-4% from their valuation models. Yet the shares lost roughly twice that in a single session, suggesting the market reaction reflected more than just the loss of one drug, which was intended to treat a rare heart disease.

The disconnect has shifted attention away from Wainua itself and toward something more difficult to measure: whether the valuation premium investors have long assigned to one of Europe's most highly regarded drug pipelines is justified.

Spain battles to contain one of its deadliest wildfires as at least 12 killed

Figure caption,

Firefighters battle flames as deadly wildfire rages in southern Spain

ByNick BeakeEurope correspondent in Andalusia and Chris Graham

Updated 55 minutes ago

Hundreds of firefighters in Spain are still battling to contain pockets of flames in the south east after one of the country's worst-ever wildfires.

Emergency services have been deployed around the village of Bedar where 12 people have been killed - among them four Britons, according to Spanish authorities. Another 23 people are still missing.

Barbara Ling, Oscar-Winning Production Designer on ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,’ Dies at 73

Barbara Ling, the production designer who turned back time and won an Oscar for re-creating 1969 Los Angeles for Quentin Tarantino’s acclaimed Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, has died. She was 73.

Ling died Thursday in Santa Barbara after a battle with cancer, a spokesperson for WME announced.

A Los Angeles native, Ling also tooled around her hometown for the present-day, Michael Douglas-starring Falling Down (1993), then reteamed with director Joel Schumacher to set up the fictional Gotham City for Batman Forever (1995) and Batman & Robin (1997).

Haaland’s hometown hails ‘little boy who grew into a huge Viking’

Surrounded by red hats, No 9 shirts and Erling Haaland action toys at her fabric shop in the small Norwegian town of Bryne, Olinda Haaland – no relation but proud to share the now world-famous name – said everybody in the striker’s home town was a football fan these days.

“It’s been pure joy,” she said of her namesake’s rise to the top of world football. “We all love him so much and he’s doing so much for Bryne.”

People in 50s urged to complete bowel cancer screening

The NHS has urged people in their 50s to test for bowel cancer in response to "low numbers" taking part in screening.

Official figures from NHS England suggest a little over half of 54-year-olds completed at-home testing kits last year, compared to 74% of those aged 70 to 74.

"Bowel cancer can develop without any symptoms, but catching it early saves lives," NHS national clinical director for cancer Prof Peter Johnson said.